1
: high in social, moral, or intellectual quality
2

Examples of high-toned in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Please keep this in mind as monetary policy grandees pen high-toned pieces musing about what the next Fed Chairman should think about, and do. John Tamny, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025 Blake is accused of having drifted into high-toned seriousness; Albert, now writing for television, is branded a sellout. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025 Bright high-toned notes of cherry and strawberry show on the palate with an intriguing texture that hints at a bit of tannin. Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 This version from Pala winery hits the high-toned cherry fruit notes, while wild herbs resonate on the finish. Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024 The last decade surely produced some of the finest television ever, spanning high-toned dramas and offbeat comedies, several of them masterpieces unlikely to have been made under any other circumstances. Josef Adalian, Vulture, 6 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of high-toned was in 1770

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Cite this Entry

“High-toned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-toned. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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